


Gold Laced Bones

by EclecticSorcerer



Category: Howl no Ugoku Shiro | Howl's Moving Castle, The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Howl's Moving Castle Fusion, Gen, Howl's Moving Castle AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-05-03 19:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 12,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14576328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EclecticSorcerer/pseuds/EclecticSorcerer
Summary: Kravitz is the owner of a humble cloak shop. Taako is a famed wizard who roams the country. One fateful occurrence brings them together for mere moments, but starts a chain of events that will lead to something far greater than they could have ever imagined. A battle to free them from their curses, and to protect the things they hold dearest to their hearts.





	1. A Wizard in the Workplace

Kravitz had always heard of the mysterious Taako and his castle of magic and machinery. The rest of the staff at the cloak shop was always talking about it. Still, he never understood the incessant buzz of interest surrounding the wizard. All anyone talked about was the rumors of how Taako stole hearts, and Kravitz saw no use in fawning and gossiping about such a person. He sighed as he pulled his cloak around him, preparing to go out. He preened in the mirror a little, imagining the neckline of his cloak covered in dark feathers. Ravens were quite popular right now. Still, his dark cloak was only a shabby, threadbare grey, and there wasn’t much use in pretending otherwise. Feathers would never suit him anyway, he was too plain to make such extravagance look good.

Kravitz stepped out onto the street to see the military parades marching by, and he quickly turned his face away. He didn’t have the stomach for war. He made his way through the back alleys, avoiding the crowds, making sure to keep his eyes low, not making contact with any of the soldiers stationed around. They always took a keen interest in him, probably because of his mother. Soldiers were vile people, always looking for toys, and Kravitz was the adopted son of the Raven. She wasn’t any sort of official nobility, but she held a high status in the town, as the local witch. Which meant Kravitz would make excellent company, or so the soldiers thought. To them, he was a prize to be won.

In reality, Kravitz found himself rather boring. Not that the company the soldiers wanted was conversational anyway. Not that he would want said company, even if it was conversational. Damn all this trouble of going through the alleys, just to visit his relatives at work.

“Traded one evil for another,” his mother would say. At least on a good day, he had no trouble from the soldiers in the alleys.

Unfortunately, nothing today was going to be easy. As Kravitz ducked around another turn, he saw that two soldiers blocked the path in front of him.

_ Damn it…  _ he thought. Head down, try and push past. He felt an arm bar his way.

“Hey now, where you off to in such a hurry?”

It took all of Kravitz’s will to keep from grimacing. He could practically feel the fake, too-wide grin on the soldier in front of him. The other soldier leaned forward to get a closer look at Kravitz’s face.

“Yeah, come relax and have a drink with us! You look like you need it!”

Kravitz opened his mouth, but no sound came out. This wasn’t good. Soldiers were known for their temper, and he didn’t fancy walking around with a broken nose and black eye if they took offense to his decline of their offer.

“I’m just heading- er, I’m just heading to Astral’s,” he stammered out. “Now if you’ll kindly let me pass-” Kravitz tried to push past the soldiers again, to no avail.

“Come on now! You’re really going to pass up a chance to relax with us?” The soldiers started inching uncomfortably closer, almost threateningly. As tall as Kravitz was, he wasn’t a large man, all skin and bone. There was no way he would be able to fend them off if they grabbed him, especially if they decided to get violent.

“Sorry boys, but I’m gonna have to ask you to leave this one alone.” Kravitz felt a hand rest on his shoulder from behind him. “He’s with me,” a soft breath said by his ear, and a small warmth pressed to his cheek, before quickly leaving again. Heat blossomed and spread from the spot, turning Kravitz’s cheeks red, his ears burning. Who the hell was this guy?

He glanced left to see a man with long, sapphire colored hair, in a messy, tousled updo. The man was all angles, sharp nose, narrow square shoulders, pointy chin. A long purple cloak, finer than Kravitz had ever seen, flowed down his back, trimmed in intricate gold embroidery, obviously hand-done. Sparkles of gold jewelry winked from the man’s ears and fingers, his face was dusted with freckles like liquid sun. A wizard? What was a wizard doing  _ here _ ?

“Take a walk will you?” The man reached his hand towards the soldiers, fingers twitching, and they began to move, jerking like puppets, marching their way towards the direction from which Kravitz came.

“Hey, I’d love to chat,” the wizard turned to Kravitz as the soldiers left, “But we gotta get out of here real fast. Follow me, and don’t look back, not if you wanna keep that fine looking face of yours.”

Though he found the wizard’s compliments anything but flattering, without much of a choice, Kravitz took the man’s arm cautiously, tripping over his own feet as they set off at a brisk pace through the alleys. A quick glance over his shoulder told him that they were being followed by something that didn’t even look human. A writhing black mass of vaguely humanoid shapes pushing out of their clothes, spotted with eyes and a shifting amalgamation of colors that made Kravitz feel sick.

“Sorry for getting you involved, this might get real nasty soon,” the wizard commented off-handedly. Kravitz didn’t understand how he could be so nonchalant about this. What  _ were _ those thi-Kravitz’s thoughts were cut off, startled as the dark goop started oozing from the alleyway in front of them.

“Aw, dangit. Hold on, guess we gotta go up.”

The next thing Kravitz knew, his feet were leaving the ground, his body held aloft by the gold-adorned hands holding his own.

“Just walk normally my dude, you’ll be fine.”

Kravitz pedaled his feet, before catching on some sort of invisible force. It wasn’t truly solid, more like walking on a cushion full of air. They soared over the rooftops, climbing higher with each step, toes barely avoiding the tiles covering the tops of the buildings below. Kravitz looked down towards the ground, and immediately wished he hadn’t. However, he couldn’t tear his eyes away, and the beauty of the view quickly overcame his vertigo as he marveled at the colorful bustle of the marketplace below. Canopies lined the sides of buildings, dresses and cloaks swirled around each other in a dance made of cloth as people made their way through the town. They stood out brightly among the dusty tan and brick red of the buildings around them, creating a mosaic of activity that he couldn’t help but admire.

“Last stop!” the wizard called, as if he was conducting a trolley line, and not carrying people through the air with magic.

Kravitz dropped softly onto the balcony, turning to wish the wizard farewell. “See you around?” he asked, almost hopefully.

The wizard winked. “Sure, I’ll see you on the flip side. Now, I gotta go deal with some goop monsters, so don’t die on me now! Alleys are dangerous and all that jazz.” The wizard stepped backwards off the balcony railing with a flourish, and Kravitz rushed to the side, heart in his throat, half expecting to see a broken body on the cobbled street below. But the wizard had simply vanished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit, it's been difficult putting that Adventure Zone spin on Howl's Moving Castle (or vice versa if you prefer) but I hope yall will like it. It's a little rocky, Kravitz is nowhere near as sophisticatedly dramatic as he is in canon, but I hope I balanced his essence in the role of Sophie well enough that it's still. Well, Kravitz. This is all prewritten, I'll be posting a new chapter every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (starting this Friday since today is Tuesday). So no need to worry about me leaving this one to collect dust. I've also prewritten a decent sized chunk of the Lupcretia version of the AU, I might start posting those chapters every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday as I start nearing the end of this version of the story. I don't want to post them concurrently at the same time, but a little overlap should be fine, so keep an eye out for that!


	2. The Curse of the Cloaked

After a sterner than needed talking to from Legi about the dangers of wizard strangers, Kravitz began to make his way home. It was already far later than he anticipated, and he wasn’t about to do any more wandering than he had to.

Thankfully, he reached his shop with no incident, and sighed in relief as he locked the door behind him. This town was cheery, but even the most welcoming weren’t always safe at night. Kravitz hung up his cloak, and was just moving to make his way upstairs when the bell rang, signaling an entrance to the shop.

“We’re closed!” he called behind him, half turning to get a look at the intruder, and froze. It looked like a man, but it was made of the same iridescent material as the blob men from the alley. Covered in sporadic eyes, dressed in a sharp suit, the _thing_ terrified Kravitz. It seethed with dark energy, the stuff coming off it in waves, lengthening and warping the shadows into unrecognizable, beastly shapes.

“Hm… the wizard really does have no taste.” Kravitz blinked. Too many things to process, there was some sort of malevolent magical being in his shop, said being was covered in eyes and apparently had a mouth, and to top it all off, it just insulted him. Or at least, he thought it did.

“We’re closed. I think I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Kravitz strode quickly to the door and opened it, preparing to usher the thing out of the shop as soon as possible. However, when he turned the handle, the door pushed open on its own. There was no street outside. It was as if everything outside this one room had ceased to exist. An endless sheet of void, shifting with colors and eyes was all that was left. Kravitz tried closing the door as blob men started to leak in, but it wouldn’t budge, as if held in place by some unstoppable force.

“No, no, no no no no!” Kravitz yanked on the door to no avail.

“Now really, you should know you can beat magic with simple strength!” The shadow person grinned, an unnerving sight of blinding white teeth against the shifting, oil-slick background. “It’s obvious you’re going to be a nuisance if I allow you to keep nosing around. I think I’ll just-”

The shadow figure rushed Kravitz, giving him no time to react. He squeezed his eyes shut, prepared for death, but all he felt was a freezing chill, as if he was doused in ice water. Was this what dying felt like? He thought it would be more painful.

A loud slam startled Kravitz from his racing thoughts. He opened his eyes to find the shadow had vanished, probably having passed through him. The door was shut and locked. A quick peek through the curtains revealed the street had returned, the night peaceful. A note was pinned to the door by the scissors used for cutting cloth.

“Give the wizard my best! And don’t bother trying to tell anyone about this little encounter, I’ve made it impossible. The wonders magic can do, don’t you think?”

“Geez…,” Kravitz muttered as he pried the scissors out of the door. This was exactly what he had wanted to avoid. He went to take off his cloak when something odd caught his attention. His hands… they weren’t his hands anymore. He rushed to the mirror, only to be greeted by bleached white bone, his real appearance hovering translucently above it, like a ghostly skin, barely visible.

Kravitz backed up, crashing into the counter. This couldn’t be happening, this couldn’t happen. Not to him. But it did. How was he supposed to work now? How was he supposed to do anything? He looked dead. More than dead. There was only one thing to do really. Maybe he could find some help in the Wastes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This bit is kind of short unfortunately. Still, chapters are not all made of equal length, and it's mainly because I cut out actually reading about Kravitz's discussion with Legi. (Legion since I couldn't find a great stand-in for Lettie, so I chose a notable Astral Plane character and called it a day) And it would've been odd not cutting it off before the Wastes.


	3. Deal With a Demon

Kravitz stole quietly out of the back of the shop early in the afternoon while everyone was out for lunch. He had feigned being sick all morning, but that ruse wouldn’t last long. Eventually, someone would try to check on him and he couldn’t have that. Sticking to the alleys, he slowly worked his way through the maze of buildings that led to the Wastes. As he climbed the last hill, he took one last look at the town. The train was rumbling through the center of town, bridges rattling as it passed under them. _I guess this is goodbye, for now_ , Kravitz thought. He had no idea of when he would return, of how long it would take to break this curse. With one last look behind him, Kravitz crested the hill, and the town sank out of sight.

It was almost nightfall when Kravitz met the mannequin. He had sat down for a quick rest, maybe a snack, but had scarcely reached the rocky outcrop when he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. Already jumpy, Kravitz ended up tumbling over the other side of the rock into the grass. As he scrambled to his feet, he spotted a wooden leg poking out of the thicket. Well. Now that wasn’t something you see every day. Common sense screamed to just walk away, but common sense left Kravitz when he turned into all but a ghost. So, he grabbed the leg and pulled.

Met with more resistance than expected, Kravitz pulled on the leg again, revealing a full-sized mannequin stuck in the bushes. Startled, he dropped the leg in surprise as the mannequin started thrashing around. Realizing that this was probably some magical being, he quickly picked the leg back up again, dodging the kicking limbs, and yanked. The mannequin pulled free of the bush, but in its eagerness, ended up knocking both itself and Kravitz to the ground. Frightenedly, it scrambled to its feet, brushing itself off and attempting to do the same to Kravitz, still on the ground. It stuck out its hand, as if for a handshake, and Kravitz burst into laughter.

“I’m, I’m sorry!” he heaved through gasping breath. “It’s just, I’ve had a very odd couple days lately and this is just the cherry on top.” He made his way to his feet gracefully, and met the mannequins handshake. “I’m Kravitz. It’s a pleasure.”

The mannequin shook Kravitz’s hand more than enthusiastically, making the man feel as if his whole arm was going to be pulled off.

“Er, yes well, I was wondering,” Kravitz said as he retracted his hand. “Do you know if there’s any shelter where I could stay for the night?” Kravitz shuddered. “I’m not all that fond of staying out here.”

The mannequin nodded, as equally enthusiastic as its handshake, and quickly ran down the path towards the town. Kravitz sighed. So much for that idea. He hadn’t passed anything on his way out into the Wastes.

He had been walking for some time when he decided to find the most comfortable spot on the ground and just stick it out. He found a grassy patch several feet away from the road, and stretched out. The normally cloudy sky was clear above him, and as he lay there, he admired the stars. They looked so close, as if he could just grab one.

He reached his hand up fancifully, just to see if he really could, then stopped. He had almost forgotten why he was even out here. He studied the hand above him, the bone pale in the moonlight. Though he could still feel it, his ghostly skin was invisible in the darkness of the night. He wiggled his fingers, studying the joints carefully. He thought he would have been ill at the sight, he never did have the stomach for death. Not since the war started and his birth parents had passed.

The wind picked up, sharp knives biting into Kravitz’s body. He quickly retracted his hand, and rolled over, bundled in his cloak. Slowly, he drifted off into a fitful sleep.

When Kravitz woke, it was still dark and something was tapping his shoulder. The mannequin.

“Oh,” Kravitz yawned. “I thought you left.”

The mannequin pointed behind itself, towards the road. The soft hum of machinery and the smell of smoke greeted Kravitz’s senses.

“How?” he asked sleepily. There had been no buildings around when he had laid down. Still, he was too tired to protest as the mannequin led him to the entrance of what he recognized as the famed moving castle of the wizard Taako.

Kravitz nearly groaned, anywhere but here, but he figured if anyone could help break the curse, the wizard could.

He took a running start and jumped onto the porch steps, waving at the mannequin to follow. It ran behind the castle, but made no move to jump on. It simply waved, as if to say goodbye. With one last look over his shoulder, Kravitz stepped into the castle.

Inside was warm, and surprisingly cozy, a stark contrast to the shambling mechanical mess pictured on the outside. It was, however, an organizational disaster. The room looked as if it was swept through by a tornado, books piled high, messy stacks of paper covering the tables, all sorts of clothes and garments strewn over chairs, lounging cushions, and the floor. Dust covered every surface and hovered in the air, and cobwebs lingered in the corners. The only source of cleanliness was a small cooking area.

Kravitz pulled a chair up to the small fire in the open hearth and began warming his hands. The orange glow lit up his body, highlighting the ghostly form of his hands around his bones.

“You’re a sure character aren’t you?”

Kravitz startled, frantically searching for the source of the voice.

“In the fire buddy.”

Kravitz turned back to the hearth. The fire was larger now, crackling cheerily.

“Barry the fire demon, nice to meet you.”

Kravitz stared. Talking fire. That was new.

“Kravitz,” he said slowly. “Pleasure.”

They sat in silence for a few uncomfortable moments before Kravitz spoke again.

“Barry’s a funny name for a fire demon.”

The fire sputtered and Kravitz heard a snort.

“And you look funny for anyone. That’s one nasty curse you got there.”

“How can you-”

“I can tell lots of things. Including that I can break your curse.”

Kravitz raised an eyebrow. Demons were known to be tricky creatures, and it was widely advised not to trust them, especially when making any sort of deal.

“What’s the catch?”

Barry paused for a moment.

“It might involve necromancy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those having trouble imagining what Krav's curse looks like, if you've ever seen Coco, it's like how Miguel's fingers went translucent as he changed into a skeleton but all over.


	4. Message in the Mourning

Kravitz woke to sunshine streaming through the windows and a loud knocking on the door. He pulled up his hood as footsteps pounded down the stairs, pretending to sleep as a small boy ran past him to answer the knocking.

“Hello, is wizard Kessler available? No? Alright well, hand him this next time he drops by will you? Hear from you soon!”

The door closed, and Kravitz heard the boy sigh. It was a heavy sigh, too heavy for one so young. The boy looked no older than twelve, his dark skin completely unmarked by age, his cropped coily hair still mussed in the way only a young boy’s could be.

“Second one this week,” the boy muttered. “And it’s only Monday!”

Kravitz heard bustling activity behind him, a clearing of a table, the tidying of papers. He felt a small hand tug on his cloak.

“Hey sir?” Kravitz opened his eyes. “Who _are_ yo- Oh dang.”

Kravitz’s hood fell back, revealing his skeletal form, ghostly face drawn grim.

“Uh. Are you Death? Cuz I don’t want to die right now particularly, and I’m pretty sure Taako doesn’t either, not that we can stop Death himself-”

“I am not Death. I am… looking to help.”

The boy’s eyes narrowed behind his round glasses. “I suppose if Barry let you in, it’s all right,” he said, but there was no mistaking his suspicious tone. “Want breakfast?” he asked after a moment, cheerful once again, clearing another place at the cluttered table.

Kravitz nodded slowly. “That would be nice,” he said. “I can help if you’d like.”

The boy shook his head. “Taako doesn’t like us cooking without him, so we just have the cold stuff for now.”

“Nonsense.” Kravitz grabbed a few eggs from the basket and grabbed a pan of the rack on the wall of the kitchen. “Barry?”

The fire grew in the hearth, and the boy placed a log into it. Kravitz cracked the eggs into the pan, the boy hovering over his shoulder as he worked. Kravitz had never been an expert at cooking, but he considered himself decent, and it was the least he could do considering he invaded the place uninvited. He had almost finished with the first batch when the door swung open, not to the busy street from before, but to a dark cloudy void. The wizard who Kravitz could only assume to be Taako brushed in, the door slamming shut behind him. Now this was a surprise. The same wizard from the alleyway was it?

“Agnes, what did I tell you about cooki-” Taako stopped short at the sight of Kravitz. He smirked, crossing his arms and leaning his shoulder against the wall. “What do we have here?”

Kravitz was frozen. He could smell the eggs burning, but he couldn’t seem to force his limbs to move. Of all people for Taako to be.

“All right Skeleman, move over, you’re ruining the food.” Taako took the pan from Kravitz, taking his place in front of the fire with a hip check. He dumped the burnt eggs into the fire, and began a flurry of activity Kravitz could hardly follow. Butter, eggs, onions, tomato, an assortment of spices and vegetables he didn’t even recognize. So that’s why the kitchen was clean.

“So Bones, what brings you here?”

“He said he’s here to help! He didn’t say with what though,” the boy, Taako called him Agnes, said.

“Er, if you don’t mind that is,” Kravitz interjected quickly. “I don’t want to impose or anything.”

“Course you don’t!” Taako responded almost too cheerily. “You want something from me, even if you won’t say it.”

Kravitz was floored. Was he that easy to see through? He didn’t want to seem manipulative, he’d rather do something as compensation for assistance than receive help and give no thanks.

“Everyone always does,” Taako muttered under his breath, before straightening his back and presenting three heaping plates of food. He grinned. “Let’s eat!”

While the wizard and his apprentice dug into their food, Kravitz faltered. He knew he could eat. But he didn’t know what it looked like. Besides, it felt odd, trying to fit into this obviously well-set routine.

“Yo, my man.”

Kravitz looked up to see Taako’s fork pointed at him. “Firstly, eat. I’m curious to see how you work. Secondly, ya got something interesting in your pocket. I wanna see it.”

Kravitz dipped his hand into his cloak, surprised to find a small piece of paper. He hadn’t picked up such a thing, so how did it get there? This wasn’t one of the wizard’s tricks, was it? He pulled out the piece of paper and handed it to Taako, but the wizard dropped it almost immediately, as if burned.

The paper unfolded on the table and began emitting a black ooze, sparkled with tiny flecks of iridescent crystal. Kravitz jumped as Taako leapt to his feet and slammed the head of his staff directly onto the goop, setting it on fire. The slick burned away quickly, revealing a strange mark on the table where there had been none before.

“Well Ango?” Taako asked. He kept his staff on the table, but moved so the boy could come around next to him and study the mark.

“No curse,” he said after a moment of consideration. “It’s definitely a warning though. I think we might want to move the castle, sir.”

“Good idea.” Taako attempted ruffling the boy’s hair despite his cap, then settled on simple head patting. “Barry?” he asked.

“On it.”

“Run a bath for when I get back as well.”

Barry grumbled softly, but the flames rose anyway as Taako left, the wind slamming the door behind him.

“So… Agnes? Was it?” Kravitz asked after a few moments, desperate to break the awkward silence.

“Nah. Angus McDonald. Taako calls me Agnes for goofs. Even though it’s not my name. What’s yours?”

“...Kravitz.”

“You’re not working with the Hunger, are you?”

Angus’ question hit Kravitz like a ton of bricks. Is that what that monstrous _thing_ was? It made his blood boil, thinking of the creature that had cursed him. Kravitz was not a vengeful man, but he swore, the next time he saw the Hunger he would not be so helpless.

“No,” he said darkly, glowering into his eggs. “I am not with that thing.” He spat the last words as if they were poison.

“Sir? You’ve got some uh… Weird dark energy thing going on.”

Kravitz looked at his hands to find tendrils of dark purple emanating from them. Any trace of ghostly skin was gone, his bone stood out a stark white against the waves of smoky purple. His eyes reflected as glowing red dots in his reflection off the cooking pans on the wall. He looked… scary. He didn’t like it.

 _Deep breaths_ , Kravitz thought. His anger subsided, and he sensed Angus relax next to him. “I’m sorry Angus. I’m afraid I don’t know what happened.” He stood suddenly, nearly knocking his chair backwards. “Well, since Taako is gone and I’ve promised my help with whatever you need, I’m going to start with cleaning this mess. Help me clear off the table?”

Angus nodded enthusiastically, already reaching for some of the book piles.

Slowly but surely, Angus and Kravitz cleaned the entire ground floor, even going out and buying a shelf to house the books that had previously been messily strewn about. The house was dusted, the floors mopped, and the windows washed. Then, Kravitz set to work sorting the stack of papers collected from the table.

Three hours and a cold cup of tea later, Kravitz was about three-quarters of the way through the stack of paper. Angus had fallen asleep on one of the stuffed chairs long ago, and Kravitz was left with nothing but the crackling fire and late morning sun. While sorting, he had taken to reading the entire papers, and found that magic was a lot more complicated than he originally believed. A collection of spells and notes on techniques, experiments with creating your own spells, lists of creatures and materials and their uses, with several recipes mixed in at random.

Kravitz was so engrossed with the papers that he didn’t even hear the door open behind him. He was just about to rifle through a small pamphlet on magical cooking when the papers were snatched from behind him by a gold-ringed hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Taako without extensive cursing is odd. Let me know if anythings too ooc I guess?? I feel dirty cussing too much writing this because it's Howl's Moving Castle but Taako's pottymouth is a definining characteristic.


	5. Cleaning Calamity

“Oh! You’re back,” Kravitz said, turning to face the wizard. Taako’s face was masked by a fake smile, but Kravitz couldn’t tell what he was trying to hide underneath.

“Yep, it’s Taako. I’ll just finish up with these here.” Taako picked up the rest of the papers. Kravitz saw a flash of the top page, titled “Necromancy,” before it was covered by a recipe for some sort of chicken dish. “Try not to get carried away with your whole project here,” Taako said as he shoved the papers into his cloak. “Cha’boy’s not used to change y’know.”

The wizard moved to the door, spinning the handle. The windows darkened and he opened the door to the same cloudy blackness from which he first entered earlier that morning. “Tell Ango I’ll be back soon when he wakes up.” And with that, he was gone again.

Kravitz sighed. Well. He supposed he could start work on the second story. He was never fond of cleaning, but there wasn’t much else to do. He did want to take a look at the rest of the books, but if he sat too much longer he’d end up with so many cramps he wouldn’t be able to walk. So he stood and stretched, slow and cat-like, arms highlighted by the golden light streaming through the windows. He shook Angus’ shoulder gently, rousing the boy.

“Upstairs now. Better hide anything you wanna keep.”

Having witnessed Kravitz’s rather extreme cleaning tactics, Angus was awake immediately, and bolted upstairs. “My room last!” he shouted. “And don’t touch Taako’s.”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Kravitz answered, mostly to himself. Those papers… was Taako practicing dark magic? Everything else he read said necromancy was considered taboo by most magic practitioners, so what was Taako doing studying it? And Barry had mentioned necromancy as well… this went far deeper than Kravitz originally thought. He mulled it over as he started his way upstairs, but any thought was pushed from his head when he saw the bathroom. Colorful stains of hair dye and makeup littered the walls and tub, and dirty footprints covered the floor.

“Eurgh.” Kravitz recoiled slightly. At least it didn’t smell. Gritting his teeth, he undid his tied up hair and redid it into a knot high on his head, making sure none of it was hanging where it could get dirty. This was going to take more than a while.

As Kravitz worked on the tub and walls, Angus joined him to help with the sink and mirrors. They cleaned the toilet together, neither wanted to do it alone, and after about an hour and a half, the small bathroom was clean. Kravitz opened the frosted window to let in fresh air, and marveled at the sight that greeted him. He had forgotten that the actual castle exterior looked like, a towering mechanical wonder powered by magic, slowly walking its way across the countryside.

Almost breaking into a run, Kravitz made his way down the hall, with Angus close behind, bursting through the door to the outdoor balcony. The wind whipped across his face and through his hair, tugging it free, the knot already loose from the time spent working.

As he and Angus stood on the balcony, admiring the view and the feel of the sun and wind, Kravitz realized something. This was the first time since the curse had been placed that he felt truly alive.

Unfortunately, the wonder was soon broken by a loud rattling coming from one of the many ventilation shafts on the castle exterior. Upon further inspection, Kravitz found a wooden foot sticking out between the metal slats of the grate, and sighed.

“Hello again, my wooden friend,” he said with a tired smile. “Need some help?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm noticing a trend here of long chapters followed by short ones. Whoops. Hopefully they'll even out a little as this goes on. Also, it was a bad idea to use alliteration in titles I can't come up with this stuff forever. And sorry this chapter's a bit late in the day but I completely forgot to post this morning since it's exam week


	6. Heart of Flame

The sky was dark. The earth below Taako glowed red. The only other color was the flashes of blue hair at the edge of his vision. The sounds of explosions and falling objects rattled his ears, causing a ringing he hoped would be gone by morning. A loud flapping noise to his left caught his attention, and he flew towards it full force. The source of the noise, eyeless bat-like creatures, shrieked and scattered into the storm clouds as he barreled into them, seemingly dissolving into mist.

As Taako landed and stumbled back inside the castle, feathers shed off his aching body and onto the floor. He collapsed into the chair in front of Barry, dislodging another cloud of dark feathers. He leaned back, tipping the chair onto two legs, allowing himself to stretch his tired muscles.

“You stink of metal,” Barry commented. “And burning.”

Taako grunted softly, half in response, half in pain, willing his wings and claws back into limbs. The change was more painful than last time, his bones cracking as they shifted.

“One day you won’t be able to come back if you keep this up, you know.” Barry’s words were met with silence. Taako knew the dangers well enough. But this… it was his duty to cause as much trouble for either side as possible. Anything to stop the fighting. He personally could care less, but it’s what Lup would have wanted. She always had more of a conscience than he did, and would never have stood for this useless fighting.

Barry often argued that Lup wouldn’t want this, not the way Taako was doing it, but the wizard didn’t care. If he couldn’t change back, he couldn’t change back, that’s all there was too it.

The fire crackled softly, it’s orange light casting a comforting glow across the room. At the center, Taako could see the ember of Lup’s heart, burning brighter than the rest of the flame.

Barry had taken it long ago, when the twins were simply children. In return, he had given them power. A fair trade, they thought at the time. After all, the fire stayed with them, therefore so did Lup’s heart, so really, they got the better end of it.

“Besides,” she had always said, “You’re my heart, Taako!”

Things had been good for a while, many years in fact. But that illusion shattered when Barry and Lup fell in love. Demons were forbidden from such things, lest they disappear from the realms forever. So, to save his life, Lup gave Barry her very soul and being. Her entire life force, in exchange for his. Now… it was just the fire and Taako.

As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t resent the fire demon. Lup had made her own choice. All he could do was respect it and mourn.

Taako looked to the long alcove where Kravitz had taken up residence. He hadn’t recognized the stranger was when he first saw him, all ghostly and such. But now… the man seemed more than solid. So it was a curse. The Hunger’s work judging by the trick with the note.

Taako sighed heavily. This was his fault in a way, he realized. The Hunger wouldn’t have touched Kravitz if he had just stayed away. But what of the alternative? Who knows what those absolutely tasteless guards had been planning?

But that’s not why he helped. In truth, Taako’s morals had never been clear. His willingness to assist others was in constant fluctuation, and one could never quite tell if he was a savior or a bad omen. Lup was the one who had been good at being kind. She was always the better of the two, never willing to witness an unjust action and let it stand, not if she had any say in it.

Taako had no such qualms, his philosophy was one of pure survival. Them before anything else. The only thing stronger than that was his love and trust in his sister.

They were partners in crime, always ready to raise hell, but only when those who got hurt deserved it. Taako chuckled, reminiscing. They were such kids. Who were they to judge if someone was deserving of hurt? In his eyes, everyone was. The whole world had failed them. But Lup insisted there were good people, there was still hope, and so he followed her. Anything to keep her from crying again.

Still… even Taako didn’t know why he had helped Kravitz that day. He didn’t know why he felt bad about the curse. This wasn’t how he did things. He usually didn’t care. Taako may have thought the guy was cute when they first met, but if he went around saving everyone he thought was attractive, he’d be a regular hero. So why?

Taako searched for answers as he studied Kravitz’s peaceful face, as if the sleeping man was hiding them somewhere in his cloak. No. Maybe it was just coincidence. Maybe he had just been in a good mood. Either way, he was glad Kravitz was here. His presence was comforting in a way Taako couldn’t quite put his finger on. It was nice to have another person in the little group. And for once, it didn’t feel like his guest wanted something from him. It had at first, but when he had walked in on Kravitz going through his papers, all he sensed was a desire to be helpful. Taako wondered how long it would last if he told the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *singsong* Almost forgot to post this, cuz im a fuckin mess.  
> Nah I'm just tired, sorry bout that.  
> But!! This was one of my favorite bits to write and now we finally find out about everyone's favorite girl on fire.


	7. Sorrow Red

When Kravitz woke, the shower upstairs was already running. Angus was at the table eating some toast and scribbling furiously on a scrap of paper. Kravitz chuckled, the boy’s round glasses were falling down his nose.

Judged on the amount of steam billowing from under the bathroom door, Kravitz decided that there would be enough time to do some shopping before Taako got out. When going through the recipes from the day before, he had found some interesting looking ones he would like to try. It would be tricky to hide his… condition in public, but he could always pretend to be mute and have Angus do all the talking. Besides, he needed a walk. As amazing as the house was, Kravitz was starting to get cabin fever.

Making sure his cloak was secure and his face completely hidden in the shadow, Kravitz stepped onto the busy streets with Angus in tow. The smell of salt and fish permeated the air. Kravitz grinned. He had always wanted to see the ocean.

They had almost finished buying everything when Angus tugged on Kravitz’s cloak. The yelling started not a minute later, and the smell of smoke drifted over the town. A half-sunken ship was pulling into the harbor, men jumping off the back to escape the blaze at the front. Kravitz turned quickly, bile rising in his throat. “Let’s go,” he said to Angus hoarsely. Then, a dark shifting mass in his peripheral caught his attention. The Hunger. “Shit, Angus, we have to leave. _Now_ .” As the two rushed their way through the streets, there was a rumbling overhead, loud enough for Kravitz to feel in his chest. Not bombs, please not bombs, he thought feverishly, breaking into a run towards the shop.

An explosion rattled his teeth and he saw a plume of fire spring up right outside of town. Then the paper began to fall. Sheets of propaganda, printed ammunition, all in attempt to turn the country on itself. This damn war. Kravitz all but pushed Angus inside and slammed the door behind them, turning the handle to a different place, anywhere but here. Safety. Sunlight streamed through the windows. The only noise was the sound of birds and the ringing in his ears. The smell of baking bread wafted through the air.

Kravitz didn’t realize he had frozen until he felt his fingers being pried from their death grip on the doorknob.

“-going to hurt your hand,” Angus was saying. “I don’t know if you can get cramps but I’d don’t think I’d like to find out very much.”

Kravitz flexed his hand experimentally a few times. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

Kravitz began unloading their bags, cursing when he found that he had dropped one. He was puzzling over what to do, trying to find out what was missing, when there was a large thud, and an awful wailing noise from upstairs. Before he could react, Taako came pounding down, head in his hands, refusing to look anyone in the eye. He crashed into the table and fell on one of the floor cushions. He was in only his towel, and his hair- oh geez that’s why he was upset.

Taako’s previously jewel blue locks had been dyed a bright, fiery red.

“What did you _do_ , Kravitz?” he snarled, glaring up through the messy strangle of hair draped across his face.

Kravitz frowned, meeting Taako’s eyes with an equally angry, if level glare.

“I cleaned,” he said curtly. “That bathroom was horrendous. Frankly, I should’ve made you clean it yourself.”

“You don’t understand!” the wizard wailed in response. He had begun to glow, a bright blue mottled with black. “This was _hers_ , I’m not supposed to have it! What’s the point of even living, even being here if-”

Taako was cut off by the sight of an inky darkness slithering across the floor. He looked up to see Kravitz standing over him, his eyes dark fire, his body surrounded by a deep purple aura. The ghostly apparition of his true form that hovered over his skeleton was gone. His hair had been replaced with dark feathers. Ravens. The bird of Death. The only sign that it was still the same man Taako had met in the alley, were the tears streaming down his skull.

“I understand plenty. You’re an over-dramatic, selfish fool. ‘What’s the point?’ Is beauty all that means anything to you? It’s no wonder they say you steal hearts.” Kravitz turned on his heel and stormed out, the wind slamming the door shut behind him.

Taako sat stunned, magic long subsided. Angus was silent at the table.

Outside, Kravitz was standing at the edge of the lake Barry had dropped the castle by. He had returned to his normal cursed state, anger having simmered away to sadness. The rain was pouring, drenching him despite his hood, water running down his back and into his shoes. Stray feathers littered the ground around his feet. Tears mixed with the water on his face until he couldn’t tell which was which. Why did he even come here?

To break this curse? As if that could ever happen. Taako was a powerful wizard, but this was the Hunger’s curse. The thing Taako always ran from, according to Barry and Angus. So why was he here? Certainly not to play housekeeper. He could have left so easily, if he wanted. Barry wasn’t much help when he was chained to the castle, so that was out. There was no point in staying. But there was nowhere else to go.

The rain came down steady. Kravitz was drenched, but he didn’t care. He just stood at the edge of the lake, watching nothing. It wasn’t until he heard the soft wooden knocking of the mannequin’s joints behind him did he move, turning to look back at the castle.

Angus was there with the mannequin, holding an umbrella. “You’ll catch a cold sir,” the boy said softly. Kravitz smiled weakly.

“Thank you Angus. I just need a few moments.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ngl, this one was tricky to write and I don't love how it came out. But what can you do, it's not easy to convert that drama into words and I wanted the reasons to run a little more deep than just looks.


	8. Sister of Fire

“You should go talk to him’” Angus said after a few hours. It had been only a day after Taako’s episode, and the wizard had still not left his room.

Kravitz hummed in response, neither yes nor no, simply acknowledgment. Angus huffed in frustration. The boy was at the table, taking notes on fire magic, and Kravitz was in one of the floor cushions, reading one of the many recipe books from Taako’s library.

It was peaceful, but there was a tension in the air, a thick muggy feeling that hovered over everything.

A loud whistling interrupted the silence, a pot on the stove was boiling. Angus jumped up from his chair and rushed to stir the pot. The smell of chocolate and cinnamon wafted out as the boy removed the lid, and Kravitz raised an eyebrow.

“A little warm for hot chocolate, isn’t it Angus?”

The boy frowned. “Sir, you’re gonna take this up to Taako. And you’re gonna talk. I know he’s not the greatest, but he’s better than he shows.”

Kravitz sighed as he got to his feet. “If it was anyone else asking…”

Angus grinned, his face lighting up like the sun. “Thank you sir!”

There was an eerie silence as Kravitz climbed the stairs, broken only by the creaking of the steps. Though he would never admit it, Kravitz thought the house felt dead without Taako. As infuriatingly selfish as the wizard was, he brought a charm to the place. And he wasn’t that bad, really. Angus was right. Taako was selfish and a coward, but he wasn’t a bad person. And Kravitz had no right to judge someone he barely knew. Maybe he would apologize.

There was no response when he knocked softly on Taako’s bedroom door. Taking that as an invitation, Kravitz opened the door.

Taako’s room was colorful and messy, a dozen piles of clothes littered the floor, shards of glass, charms, and crystals were hung from the ceiling on fine gold chains. A rainbow of fabrics made up the canopy above the large bed, different swathes draped off the frame and were pinned to the walls. The bedding looked like stained glass, depicting two figures in red, a small flame nestled between them in the cup of their outstretched hands.

Taako was asleep, his hair spread wildly across the pillows. The fine strands had faded from red to a light blonde, a stark contrast against Taako’s light coffee-colored face. However, as serene as the room was, Kravitz could tell the wizard was anything but peaceful. His eyebrows were creased together, his teeth grit in his sleep, eyes twitching occasionally under his lids. A nightmare? Or just an odd dream?

Kravitz touched Taako’s shoulder gently. “Brought you something.”

The wizard stirred, and turned over, away from Kravitz.

“Five more minutes, Lulu,” he mumbled into his pillow, his words muffled almost to the point of being incomprehensible.

“Come on Taako. I know you haven’t eaten.”

Taako rolled back onto his back and his eyes fluttered open. “Oh,” he said, almost disappointedly. “Hey Bones.” A weak smile crossed his face.

Kravitz sighed and set the hot chocolate on the crowded bedside table. “I, er. I wanted to apologize. For my outburst yesterday.”

Taako waved his hand dismissively. “Nah man,” he said between yawns. “I went off the chain, it’s all good.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, neither knowing how to break it.

“What are you going to do about those summons? To the king?”

Taako looked wistfully at the ceiling above him, glass and crystal sending spots of light dancing around the room.

“I’d say no if I could. But I’m legally bound to serve. Which absolutely blows.” The wizard grabbed a dagger sitting on the table and flung it towards the wall. A scrap of paper was pinned there with another knife, tattered with holes, probably from other throwings.

“Taako doesn’t do brave, y’know? Besides… war is stupid anyway.”

Kravitz hummed in agreement. Again, they sat in silence.

“Taako?”

“Hm?”

“If you don’t mind me asking, who is... Lulu?”

Taako’s shoulders slumped, and he didn’t answer. Instead, he took the mug of chocolate, now only lukewarm, and took a long drink.

“She… Lup. She was my sister. Twin. But she’s gone now.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“No.” Takko stopped Kravitz. “No, it’s fine. She uh. It was noble. What she did. Saved someone’s life. Did more than I would’ve. She’s here on the blanket. See?”

Taako stretched his hand and pointed to one of the figures on the blanket, the one with a wide grin.

“We made this a long time ago. Right before she went out. It was funny y’know, she insisted we stitch it by hand. No magic. Read a whole library’s worth of books on sewing so we could get it right. But it was worth it.”

Kravitz moved to place his hand on Taako’s, then thought better of it, and rested it on the embroidery instead.

“It’s beautiful.”

Taako laughed. “Thanks, my man. Now, I’ve got an idea about our trouble with the king.” The wizard had completely changed mood, back to his jokes and charming theatrics. But Kravitz knew it wasn’t completely genuine. Still, it wasn’t his place to press.

“You’ll go to the castle for me!”

Kravitz startled out of his thoughts.

“What? Looking like this? Taako, I look like a ghost!”

“Nah nah, it’s cool! Just say you’re another demon, a friend of Barry’s and mine! They can’t get you for it if you’re there on my behalf, and even if they could, the only person who could is the royal mage.”

“I’m not sure…”

“Come on bones, it’s a perfect plan! And if you’re still worried, I’ll be following you the whole time.”

Kravitz frowned. He wasn’t sure if that made him feel better or worse. But if there really was no other way, he supposed he didn’t have a choice. It was just a quick visit, and then they could go back to their normal routine.

“Alright. If you say so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taako ft emotional vulnerability! How uncharacteristic! Yet so fun to write. We're getting into the dramatic shit now


	9. Demon in Disguise

Kravitz knew he was going to get odd looks as soon as he stepped out of the shop, but even that knowledge did not prepare him for the reaction. People on the streets backed or ran away, those driving by slowed then sped down the road when they realized what they were looking at, and everyone stared. He supposed the police would have gotten involved if not for the golden crest that marked him as a friend of Taako’s that he wore around his neck. So he walked.

Kravitz kept his stride brisk and his posture straight. He was never one to emit a commanding presence, but Taako had insisted on “strut-schooling.” No one would know how to react to a nervous looking demon, and Kravitz supposed he was right. Outfitted in a rich purple vest and a long black cloak trimmed in gold, he looked like a very fashionable specter of death, a product of Taako’s magic and fondness for intricate fashion. The wizard had half-jokingly suggested a scythe, and Kravitz had immediately shot that idea down. Weaponry was really unnecessary, and it would have been tacky anyway.

Not long after Kravitz left the shop, he noticed a dark bird following him. He would have thought nothing of it, except for the golden cuff around its leg. A raven? No, the wingspan was too small. A crow. Taako’s awful sense of humor strikes again, Kravitz found himself thinking. Still, he was reassured that the wizard was there.

It was a short walk to the castle, but it felt like an eternity. There was a long set of wide stairs leading up to the entrance, guards posted at every landing. The crow landed on Kravitz’s shoulder.

“I’m here to see the king on behalf of the wizard Kessler.”

The guard nodded and motioned for him to pass. His demeanor was calm but his eyes never left Kravitz’s back as he climbed the stairs. This man… this demon, was not to be trusted.

Upon reaching the castle, Kravitz was led to a room occupied by a single chair. The door was closed, with a promise that the king would see him soon, and Kravitz was left alone with the crow. The room was a beautiful one, with paneled walls, each carved with an intricate design. The floor was covered in a plush red rug. Kravitz didn’t trust a single inch of it. So he stood, waiting.

Apparently fed up with the inactivity, the crow left Kravitz’s shoulder and flew to the top of the panel opposite the door. A carved horse poised on top of the panel frame, a perfect perch for the crow to land on. There was a click as it settled its weight, and with a low grinding sound and a creak, the panel swung inward to reveal a dim hall. Light shone around a corner, but Kravitz could not tell what lay beyond. Still, it beat waiting in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's short but yall get a double upload because i forgot to post monday so just go ahead and hit that next button. i'm gonna skip tomorrow's update since it's tuesday, and it also works for that sweet suspense coming next chapter that has to wait until friday to resolve itself


	10. Decoy of Death

Following the bird led Kravitz to a large greenhouse. A small circular table was set up at the center of the room, with a teapot and chessboard sitting on top. A man in a grey pinstripe suit was sitting in one of the two chairs placed on opposite sides of the table. His face was lined angular, but despite his aged appearance, he gave off an air of great ability. This was beginning to feel more and more like some kind of social call.

“Ah! I’ve been expecting you. Sit, sit, make yourself comfortable. Taako’s… relative is it?” Kravitz remained standing. This man was too cheerful for the situation.

“Barry’s actually.”

“Oh, another demon then! That certainly explains some things. I’m John, it’s nice to meet you…?”

“Kravitz.”

“Kravitz. Now really I do insist you sit, we have much to discuss.” John gestured to the chair opposite him, and Kravitz reluctantly pulled it out and sat.

“Do you play chess Kravitz?”

“Some.”

John grinned. “Shall we do business over a game then?”

Kravitz was good at chess. It was one of the skills he had cultivated with his endless free time after work, playing against his siblings and his mother when he could. Occasionally a patron of the shop would spot the set in the corner and request a game, at which time the staff would rush to Kravitz’s workroom to summon him to the front. This is how Kravitz had met most of the people he might have called friends. He had rarely lost any game he played, but after only a few moves it was apparent John was good. Better than Kravitz was.

“So… judging by you being here, Taako isn’t coming,” John said quietly after a few moments of silent play.

“Yes… he is a coward,” Kravitz responded curtly.

“I was afraid of that.” John sighed. “He would have made a good successor.”

“Is that what this is about?” Kravitz asked. “A successor?”

John leaned his head into one hand, resting his elbow on the table, studying the board in front of him.

“Partially. He was also requested to fight. Unfortunately, his deal with Barry is… well, it’s a tad illegal for our citizens to make deals with your people. Taako didn’t make the deal himself of course, but the fact he continues to work with the fire demon is troubling. I fear it may lead him down the wrong path.”

Kravitz was silent as John made his move.

“In truth, if he had come himself I’d request he relinquish his hold on the demon. If not, well. We would have had to dispose of him.”

Kravitz paused with his hand above his chess pieces. It took all his will to keep from trembling. “And if he refused to fight?”

“He would be marked as a traitor, which seems to be the case. I’d rather not, but that wizard cares of nothing but himself. Perhaps it’s best this way.”

Kravitz felt rage bubble up in his chest. Faint wafts of purple began rising from his body, and he felt his eyes begin to burn.

“With all due respect, I think I disagree. He may be a coward, he may be shallow and selfish, but he cares for more than you can ever believe. He helped me when I was nothing but a stranger. His refusal to fight in your senseless war is not traitorous, it is strength. Conviction in his own morals. It seems to me that you understand nothing of what Taako really is.”

John smiled, but his eyes were cold as steel. “I see… you love the wizard! How amusing. It is you who do not understand, son of the Raven.”

Kravitz abruptly got to his feet, but there was nowhere to run. John also stood, a wicked look etched on his face.

“Hello!”

A booming voice crossed the courtyard, drawing their attention. A large man was walking towards them, dressed in military uniform. His hair was the silver color acquired only by age, but it would be a mistake to assume he was frail in any way. The king.

“I have some great news from the generals John, the enemy is retreating! You may call off the wizards for now, we are moving forward with the army for now. I believe victory is within reach!”

“How wonderful sire. But really Taako, you can make a better disguise than that.”

The king laughed heartily, his voice growing lighter as he shifted back into the wizard, his long hair tumbling out from beneath his hat. He strode his way to Kravitz, swinging an arm around his bony shoulders.

“You’ve got me Johnny boy. But I couldn’t just let you terrorize my friend here!”

John scowled.

“You made a grave mistake coming here. I can’t let you leave. Not when I know you have the light.”

John swept his hand in a wide arc in front of him, and a deathly chill raced through the room. A dark void began crawling up the walls, flecked with rainbow shards. The Hunger.

Taako jumped, avoiding the shockwave, and he and Kravitz were rocketed into the air as the floor below transformed into a wasted hellscape. Bomb scarred land, endless fire, smoke choking the air.

“No… not here.”

Kravitz felt Taako shudder beside him.

“Look at what your wizard really is!” John was laughing, sinister and mirthful, his grin anything but human looking. “You told him of your sister didn’t you wizard? No? How shameful.”

“Stop it!” Taako teeth were grit, tears welling up in his eyes, his body shaking with the effort of keeping both him and Kravitz afloat.

John’s laugh rang across the clouds, bouncing and doubling back, echoing in their ears, laced with a loud static.

“Remember Kravitz? How I said Taako didn’t make the deal with the demon himself? His sister did, and she was consumed by it. This is the price they paid for power. But there’s more. Why don’t you show your friend your plans, hm?”

Glassy-eyed, almost as if in trance, hands shaking, Taako brought the papers out of his vest. His notes on magical cooking sat on top, and the wizard flinched involuntarily. Bad memories, but not what he had wanted to hide. Not what John wanted Kravitz to see. He placed the pamphlet at the bottom of the stack, and looked at what had been underneath. Necromancy. Bringing someone back from the dead. Liches. Vessels for possession. Ghosts. Dark magic. Illegal magic. And the only way Taako knew how to get Lup back.

John’s grin grew even wider. “You see? His desires are corrupt. He wishes to break laws of the universe, at the expense of his own humanity!”

The void was closing in above them, the colors like glass shards poised to strike, malicious eyes watching their every move. The sound of static grew louder. Taako was shifting, his limbs morphing into wings, but the change was different this time. His face… his face was no longer human. Teeth sharp, eyes solid white, hair wild. Feathers climbed their way up his neck and onto his face, and his nails were now talons.

“He is little more than a monster.” John raised his hand next to his face, still grinning. “I think we’re done here.” Kravitz squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face into Taako’s feathers.

The last thing Kravitz heard was the snap of John’s fingers.

“No.”

The word was small, and quiet. Kravitz wasn’t even sure if John heard it. But the static had stopped. They had to get out of here. He had to get the wizard’s attention.

“Taako!” Kravitz yelled, grabbing the face of the creature in front of him. His skin was ice cold, but Kravitz hardly noticed it among the chaos. “Snap out of it. This isn’t real!”

The wizard was thrashing wildly, making the ungodly noises and wails of something in immense pain. The sound cut Kravitz straight to the core, and with one last full breath, he let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lupcretias coming up soon, idk how many chapters of this are left but ill start posting that good wlw content in between the last 3 chapters of this.  
> side note, is anyone interested in beta reading the lupcretia version of this au? (you can comment if youre interested or just message me on tumblr im @eclecticsorcerer)


	11. Wings of Oil

Kravitz was falling. John and Taako were above him, growing smaller as he fell for what seemed like an eternity. He was trailing purple smoke, his hand nothing but bone, but he wasn’t angry. No, far from it. He was terrified.

He hit the ground at high speed, back first, but despite the sharp sound of cracks, he didn’t shatter. Instead, he was engulfed in a sea of void the consistency of oil. Submerged, he could hear the screams of thousands of people in anguish. They clogged his ears, the oil clogged his throat, he couldn’t breathe. Kravitz tried to claw his way to the surface, but the slick was dragging him down. It felt as if dozens of hands had death grips on his ankles. He kicked, to no avail. Fine. Kravitz grabbed the pendant around his neck and yanked, breaking the chain. The gold wasn’t sharp, but it had plenty of small pointy edges.

He stabbed at his feet and connected with something. It recoiled, and he kicked again, shaking it off. He struggled to the surface, gasping and choking as he inhaled the smoky air. Taako was still far above, now diving across the sky wildly. Kravitz shouted the wizard’s name, desperately hoping the sound would reach him, before he was sucked back under the oil.

Taako was in pain. He was upset and hurting and he hated it. Static and laughter rang in his ears, bouncing around the inside of his skull. He couldn’t see anything, except black and fire, a burning hellscape with no end. He flew wildly, trying to get away from the sight, the noise, the rancid smell of burning cities. He had failed. The war was still going, he had broken his promise. He had let Lup down.

“Taako!”

How? Who here was alive, how was anyone here  _ alive _ ? He turned towards the sound the voice came from, just in time to see an oil-slicked hand slip under the surface of an ocean of black. Taako dove straight down, and he heard a roar of outrage from above. John.  _ John _ ! None of this was real, it was all his doing. Taako plunged into the oil slick with a splash, immediately engulfed in void. Sight and sound were gone, he would just have to rely on his instincts.

A shift in the current… there! A downward force, punctuated with erratic movement. Kravitz. Taako swam swiftly, fighting the sludge, reaching out with his talons. A warm hand grasped at his feathers, clutching to life. Making sure Kravitz’s hold was secure, Taako kicked upwards, rocketing out of the oil slick. Kravitz was shivering against him, spluttering and choking after having gone so long without air.

“Keep going up,” he managed to gasp, and Taako nodded. He shot straight through the dark clouds with a sound of breaking glass, and then… a cloudless blue sky. Cracks starburst their way in the greenhouse behind them and it shattered, taking the magically created warzone with it. John stood among the wreckage, scowling as Taako and Kravitz landed on the palace greens. There was no time to waste.

Shifted back to his human form, Taako ushered Kravitz onto one of the open-air planes. He kicked at the ignition, revving the engine, but it wouldn’t start. Gritting his teeth, Taako slammed his foot down, breaking the heel off his boots. Holding down the gas this time, eyebrows furrowed together, Taako kicked the engine casing in front of him with his other leg. The propeller sputtered for a few infuriatingly long seconds, and started spinning with a buzz. Kravitz laughed weakly as they left the ground. He was slumped in the backseat, his head leaned over the back of the headrest as he stretched out.

“We did it…”

Taako grinned back at him, witty response at the ready, but his face fell at the sight behind them. Apparently, John had been serious about not letting Taako get away.

“Sure did my man, now take the wheel.”

“What?!”

Kravitz’s head shot upward as Taako yanked him to the front seat. Kravitz turned for a moment, and caught sight of a mass of darkness. The Hunger? No. A swarm of crows, cawing loudly as they followed close behind the aircraft.

“Eyes on the sky Bones, I gotta deal with these stupid birds.”

As Taako stepped towards the back of the plane, wand at the ready, Kravitz struggled with flying in a steady line. He swerved constantly, desperately trying to avoid trees and buildings, making Taako curse every time he missed a shot.

Still, even if Kravitz had been a competent pilot, for every bird Taako blasted out of the air, three more took its place. Realizing this, the wizard stepped backwards towards the front, never taking his eyes off the swarm behind them.

“Listen uh, Krav. I’m gonna make a decoy and cover you. Head back to the castle. This should show the way.” Taako slipped a gold ring with a small red gem onto Kravitz’s finger. “Just ask for Barry to lead you.”

“You’re not coming with?”

Taako grinned and shook his head.

“I’ll be fine my dude. Meet you back home.”

Without giving Kravitz time to respond, Taako raced off, leaving him with nothing but the wind and a ring.

“Alright Barry,” Kravitz said, feeling a little silly as he did so. Talking to rings did not seem like the sanest thing to do, but now was not the time to worry about such things. “Help me find the castle. Help me find home.”

The ring lit up with a glow, pinpointing a ray of light that led to the northeast. Kravitz turned the plane, shaking slightly, and set out on his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fucked up the chapter title order whoops so I switched em. Happy first day of Pride Month everyone!!  
> \- your local nb lesbian <3


	12. Nightmare

Kravitz arrived at the castle, weary and ravenous. As he stumbled through the door, Angus rushed to his side, keeping him from falling into a heap only a few steps inside. Kravitz’s legs shook as he made his way to a cushion, easing down into it gently. He supposed adrenaline was all that had kept him going when he had ran to the plane. Oily tar still covered his body, sticky patches clinging to the pale bone. The ghostly skin that had once hovered over his skeletal form had yet to return. Perhaps he would never regain any semblance of his real body. Taako’s ring glinted gold among his bones, a spot of color in the mottled black and white. 

Angus quietly padded over to where Kravitz had settled, pushing a hot mug of tea into his hands. Kravitz let out a sigh of relief as he wrapped his fingers around the mug, at least he could still feel the warmth. As he sipped at the tea, Angus filled him in on what had happened while he and Taako had been gone. It had been relatively uneventful, but not long after the wizard left, Barry got the message to remove all the doors except the black one.

“I thought something really bad must’ve happened if we were closing the shops,” Angus said, “and Taako’s not back yet and you’re all messy and covered in feathers…”

“Yes… things did not go nearly as well as planned,” Kravitz responded slowly. His voice was thick, as if he still had oil on his tongue. “Taako said he would be fine on his own, but it has been longer than I would have liked for him to have returned.”

Kravitz turned to face the window, and Angus did likewise, dragging another cushion to sit next to him. The sun glowed orange and red on the horizon, sending its last rays of golden light stretching over the Wastes. 

They sat in silence, watching the sun, watching the door, waiting for Taako to return. But he never did. Kravitz eventually sent Angus off to bed, with promises to look for the wizard if he had not returned in the morning.

Though Kravitz returned to the cushions watch the door, he soon found himself nodding off as well. The crackle of the low fire mingling with the crickets outside gave Kravitz a sense of peace, welcome after the day’s chaos. The last thing he remembered was the moon shining through the curtains, casting everything in pale grey light, before slowly dimming as it was covered by the clouds.

Kravitz woke with a start, but he did not know why. Barry burned lowly in the hearth, embers barely casting a glow across the floor. The moon glowed faintly, having sunk towards the horizon, its light catching the hills and casting shadows into the small valleys of the Wastes.

Kravitz slowly got to his feet, wincing as his joints cracked loudly. Without warning, a shadow plunged the world into darkness, but only for a second. The door slammed open, and a large dark shape whisked through the house, heading upstairs.

“Taako?” Kravitz called softly. He slowly made his way upstairs, bare feet padding softly on the steps. As he made his way down the hall, he could feel a groaning from Taako’s room.

“Are you alright?” he asked softly. No answer. He slowly cracked the door open to find not Taako’s room, but a tunnel, lined with a number of knick knacks and mess associated with the wizard’s living space.

He made his way down the tunnel, following the shuffling sounds whenever there was a fork, and soon came to a dead end. But it wasn’t rock that blocked the way. A mass of feathers, breathing heavily, took up the space from floor to ceiling.

“You went out again, didn’t you? To the front lines.”

The mass let out a low whine in answer.

“You can’t keep doing this to yourself. You-”

“I can’t  _ what _ ?” The feathers shifted, revealing Taako’s face among them. “There’s no helping me. Least of all by you.”

Kravitz stepped back at the biting remarks, but he didn’t leave. Instead, he grit his teeth and moved forward.

“You’re wrong. You have people who care about you. Angus, Barry,  _ me _ . And you know Lup wouldn’t want you to do this to yourself.” Kravitz tangled his fingers through Taako’s feathers, trying to find a way to get through to the wizard, but was thrown back by a blast of wind. As he hit the wall he heard a crack, and lightning fire raced through his ribs.

“Don’t. Talk about her. You didn’t  _ know _ her.”

Feathers floated movementless in the air, dislodged by the previous gust of wind. Pebbles were hovering a few inches above the ground. It was as if time had stopped. The only sound was Taako’s labored breathing. Then, a deep inhale.

“Get out!”

Kravitz was launched backwards again, flying through the tunnels the way he came. As he passed through the door it banged shut. He felt a splitting pain in his skull as he slammed into the wall, catching just a glimpse of his own face in the mirror on the back of the door before everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lupcretia should go up this Thursday.


	13. Return to the Flock

Kravitz woke to sunshine and the smell of breakfast. He was still sitting in the cushion from last night, as if he had never moved at all. Was it all a dream? He pressed a hand to his side. No broken ribs. The back of his head was fine. His ghostlike covering had returned, translucent above his bones. He put his head in his hands, trying to remember the events of last night. It was all a blur, except for one moment. His face, in a mirror. Not skeletal, not cursed, just his face.

“You’re up!” Taako said cheerily. “Good, I made some new omelets and I need someone to try them.”

“I… sure.”

Kravitz made his way to the table, feet catching slightly on the floorboards. Angus was already digging into a plate of eggs and mushrooms, while Taako set another in front of Kravitz.

“Hey, after you’re done go ahead and clean yourself up my dude. Bathroom’s all yours.”

Kravitz  ducked his head as he realized he was still wearing the oil stained clothes from the day before.

“Right. Thank you.”

Kravitz picked at his breakfast absentmindedly, his thoughts somewhere else entirely. The events of the past few days had been harrowing at best, and based on what John had said, the best wasn’t what was to be hoped for.

The thick silence continued for the rest of the morning, through Kravitz’s shower and cleaning routine, through Angus’ lessons, and even through Taako cooking lunch.

Kravitz had been staring out the window for hours when Taako finally broke the silence as he set a plate of pasta in the other man’s lap.

“Eat. You haven’t gotten nearly enough today.”

Kravitz hummed softly in response, barely acknowledging the wizard. Taako crossed his arms, hip out. This really wouldn’t do. He waved his gold adorned hand in front of Kravitz’s face, snapping his fingers a few times.

“Taako to Bones, can you read me? You need to  _ eat _ .”

Kravitz startled, sending the plate sliding to the floor, almost tipping the food off before Taako caught it with his magic. He placed it back in Kravitz’s lap and handed him a fork.

“Chop chop, my dude, I’m planning on finding some business today.”

Kravitz ate slowly, lost in thought, but Taako didn’t rush him. The wizard was just relieved the other man was eating. He and Lup had spent nights hungry far too often, and he wasn’t about to let any guest of his experience the same when there was plenty of food to be had. Besides… he cared for Kravitz’s wellbeing, not that he would ever admit it aloud.

When Kravitz finished eating, Taako took a pan and collected the fire from the hearth.

“Find us somewhere good, yeah?”

Barry chuckled, and Angus clambered onto the table, pulling Kravitz with him. There was a moment of complete silence, almost as if the world was holding its breath. Taako raised his free hand, resting it in the air next to Barry. With a snap, the fire blew to life.

A large column of blue flame occupied the center of the room, sending white-hot waves of air washing over Angus and Kravitz, forcing them to cover their faces. With a loud crack, the wood above their heads splintered, as did the floor. Taako now hovered in empty space as the room warped around him, shards of glass from the windows floating in their frames where they had shattered. A whirl of dizzying color flew by outside, turning the world into flashes of dark and light. The column of fire grew, enveloping Taako completely, and the room began piecing itself back together. It grew in size, windows moved, doors were built. The fire died down and the world slowly turned to a stop. Kravitz moved his arm away from his face to find familiar surroundings.

“I made a new bathroom,” Taako said, opening the door to a small room in the corner. “And you have you own now, Bones.”

Kravitz stepped through the open door to find his old workroom. He felt tears well up in his eyes as he took it in.

“This is my shop. Home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i missed wednesday on top of this being short, it's finals week and i've run out of the prewritten stuff. Monday should be on schedule, and the first chapter of the Lupcretia Howl's Moving Castle AU should go up on Tuesday


	14. Announcements

It's been 84 years and I've returned with a vengeance

It's retcon time, because I read the Howl's Moving Castle novel and like. Yall. It's so good. So I'm gonna rework the old chapters and write the new ones after that!

I'm not gonna change a whole bunch but I'm probably gonna add in some things from the novel, like instead of just Lettie in the movie, Kravitz is gonna have 2 siblings like Sophie in the book, etc etc. Fun Times (not gonna include the bit about how howl is from the modern world and also played rugby tho bc if you think taako does any organized sport except the required beach episode game of volleyball youre wrong)

So yeah. Don't know exactly when that's happening but it should be soon. Keep in touch my dudes.


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